Reflecting Love's Charms (Bellingwood Book 14) (13 page)

"He doesn't get along with your parents?"

Marie screwed up her mouth as she thought about how to respond. "That's not it, exactly. Bill always feels common around them. My parents don't think of him that way, but because they are educated and have been all over the world, he always tries to measure himself against their lives." She gave Polly a sad smile. "The thing is, my father would love to know the things that Bill knows - like how to create beauty with his hands. And though this was my parents’ home, they aren't connected to people in town any longer. They know people, but they have no strong sense of community here." Marie shrugged. "They don't know you and to be honest, they're not close to Lonnie or Henry either. Oh, they're the fun grandparents that my kids loved to talk about, but there were never hugs or sitting on their lap or snuggling up against them on Christmas morning while we sang Christmas carols. Dad knows what they missed out on, though he wouldn't have changed his life. And he thinks the world of Bill for providing that for me. But Bill is still uncomfortable."

"I guess I'm lucky," Polly said.

"What's that, dear?"

"Because I have you here. Both of you."

"Yes you do and I promise you that I'm not going anywhere."

"Do you think your parents will ever settle down in Bellingwood?"

"Someday maybe they'll have to," Marie replied. "They can't travel forever, though it feels like they're going to try their very best to do so."

"Do you miss them?"

"I don't think so. This has always been their life. I got out of it as soon as I was able, but I've never known anything different with them."

Jessie came around the corner of the house and saw her daughter on Polly's lap. "Hi there," she said in low tones.

"Hi yourself. I have a snuggly baby." Polly stroked Molly's hair. "She's pretty cute."

"I just came out to see if she needed anything." Jessie smiled at Marie. "I needed a break. Your husband and Les are spraying finish in there today and even the air purifier isn't cleaning it up."

"Pull up a chair, honey," Marie said.

Jessie grabbed the closest chair. "Have you heard anything from Stephanie?"

"That's right," Marie said. "You've had a really rough week. How are things working out at the office?"

"We have a good temp girl," Polly replied, "but we miss Stephanie, and Rebecca misses Kayla. She called last night to tell us they were safe."

"Do you know where they are?" Jessie asked.

Molly must have finally heard her mother's voice because she came awake and started to work up to tears. Jessie leaned over and took her daughter from Polly and patting her, put her back to sleep in her own arms.

"They won't tell us," Polly said. "And I guess I don't blame Stephanie for that. If their father is nearby, it's probably not safe for them to be here. I just hope that he's found soon so everyone can get back to normal."

Jessie kissed her daughter's head. "Do you think he's here?"

"I don't know what to think. He might be. But then again, he could still be hiding in Ohio. Right now it's all up in the air."

"I can't even begin to think about how bad that was for Stephanie," Jessie said. "Nobody should treat their daughter like that."

Polly smiled and nodded. Jessie's mother had nothing to do with her and she hadn't seen her father since he'd come out to Iowa to find her. Neither Jessie nor Stephanie had lived through a normal childhood, but at least they'd both found people in Bellingwood who stepped in as friends and family. Polly was so grateful to Marie Sturtz for what she did for Jessie and Molly. When Jessie had needed a solid rock, Marie was there to provide it.

"I'm glad she got out of there," Polly said. "Now I just want her to come home."

They all looked up as Bill Sturtz came into the back yard. "It looks like I found the garden," he said.

Marie chuckled. "What?"

"All the prettiest flowers are right here in my back yard."

"You sweet talker, you."

"Jess, you should go on home with your tired baby," he said. "Len and I are going to be spraying in there for the next couple of hours. If the phone rings, they can leave a message and we'll handle it tomorrow."

Marie hopped out of her chair. "Let me round up Molly's things. You stay right there."

"I can do it, Marie." Bill stepped in front of her. "Just tell me what I need to do."

She pushed him back. "William Sturtz, you're a wonderful man and I love you, but if you get fretful about my blood pressure, you're going to send it sky high and then you and I will have a long talk. I am fine. The doctor says I'm healthy. Don't you dare turn this into something that it isn't. Got it?" She pecked his cheek with a kiss and swept past him.

He turned and looked sheepishly at Polly and Jessie. "Am I in trouble?"

Polly laughed. "If you weren't so cute, you'd be in trouble all the time, I'm thinking."

"Maybe you and your family should meet us at Davey's for dinner tonight. I don't know that I want to stay at home alone with her until I figure out how to get out of this one."

"We're working over at the new house," Polly said. "And we'll be sweaty messes by the time we're through. I think you're on your own tonight."

He lifted his eyes to the sky. "Heaven help me."

Marie came back outside with a backpack. "Here you go, Jessie." She put it on the ground in front of Jessie's chair and then sat back down and looked up at her husband. "You go work and don't come in the house until you decide that I'm going to be fine. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am," he said and sauntered off. Polly watched him leave and laughed when he turned back around and stuck his tongue out at his wife.

"You two still have a lot of fun, don't you," Polly said.

"Every day."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Every day this week, Polly woke up stiff and sore. It was finally Friday. The weekend was too busy for more construction. At some point her muscles would be back in shape, but she had another day of aches to wash away under a hot shower.

Sal was already driving to Des Moines to collect her mother from the airport. She had begged Polly to meet them for a late lunch at Davey's and then give a tour of Sycamore House and the Bell House.

With all that had been going on over at the Bell House this week, Polly looked forward to watching Mrs. Kahane traipse through the yard to show her the Prohibition hideout and storage they'd uncovered. Students from the university had found their way to Bellingwood all week, and last night they'd pronounced the tunnel quite safe.

Andrew was beside himself. He'd been allowed to walk through the tunnel just before his mother picked him up and it was as if his brain found a new high speed. He'd babbled to Rebecca about the stories he could tell and she'd grown excited with him at the possibilities.

Henry planned to reinforce the doorways on both ends before too much traffic passed through there. He'd also talked to a few of his vendors about the best way to shore up the walls of the rooms where they'd found the still and the barrels. Since the holes had already been dug and the earth had long since settled, he and Polly were dreaming about what to build on top of that space. They'd discussed a patio, but with a large back porch attached to the house, it didn't make much sense. At this point, anything was possible.

Polly turned the water off in the shower and rolled her shoulders. She had no idea how she'd been so lucky as to find someone like Henry. There was nothing he couldn't do and when he told her to dream big and they'd either figure out how to make it happen or scale back from there, she could hardly contain herself. The Bell House was going to take a long time to get to where she was happy with it. Henry had to remind her on a regular basis that they were in no hurry. That worked most of the time, but when she got excited, all she could see was the finished project and she wanted to be there right now.

By the time Polly got to the kitchen, Henry was gone for the day. He liked being able to let his crews leave early on Friday afternoons, so that meant his day started before everyone else's.

"Have the dogs gone out?" she asked.

Heath was in front of the television eating his breakfast while Rebecca had her nose in a book at the dining room table.

"Hey. Family," Polly said, louder than she'd spoken the first time.

"Yeah. They went out," Rebecca said.

"What are you reading?"

Rebecca tipped the book up and then back down before Polly could focus on the title.

"Is that for a class?"

"No. Just some of my friends are reading it. It's okay. I got it at the library."

"What are you watching, Heath?" Polly asked, loud enough for him to hear.

"ESPN. No biggie."

"Why don't you come over and join us?"

Rebecca looked up; startled. "Are we having a family meeting or something?"

"No. I just wanted to spend time with my family before the day started." Polly went into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee, then looked around. "What did you guys eat for breakfast?"

"I just had some juice," Rebecca said.

Heath dropped into a chair at the table. "What's up?"

"Did you eat anything?" Polly asked him.

He shrugged. "I'm not that hungry."

"For heaven's sake," she said and opened the cupboard. Pulling out cereal boxes, she put them on the peninsula and then took milk out of the refrigerator. "You two are eating something before you go to school. No argument. Heath, come get bowls and spoons. Rebecca, put your book down and grab the cereal and milk." She took a drink of coffee and then pulled the toaster away from the wall, making sure it was plugged in. "I'm going to make toast and you're going to eat it."

"You don't have to do all that," Heath said.

"What are your plans tonight?" Polly asked. He'd worked hard this week with Henry putting the porch on at the new house and though he'd offered, tonight they were taking a break. The weekend was going to be busy enough without starting it out with more construction.

Heath moved past her with the bowls and spoons. She took down two clean glasses and put them on the peninsula, too.

"Rebecca," she said, louder than she intended.

"What?"

"Put a bookmark in your book and close it."

"But I'm almost to a stopping point."

Polly laughed. She'd been there too many times to count. It wasn't going to work on her, though. "Just think about how exciting it will be to go back to that. Close the book."

Rebecca jammed a piece of paper in the book and slammed it on the table.

"Rebecca?" Polly warned.

"Sorry."

"So what are you doing tonight, Heath?" Polly asked. "Anything fun?"

"I dunno," he said. "We were supposed to go over to Morgan's house, but her dad got the flu or something. Nobody has any money to go out."

"Bring 'em here," Polly said. "We'll buy pizza. And we'll leave you all alone. I promise." She couldn't think of anything better than hiding in her bedroom, reading a book and snoozing while Henry watched television.

"What about me?" Rebecca asked. Her shoulders slumped and she dropped her head. "It's my birthday weekend."

"You're right," Polly said. "Heath, you can't have any of your friends over tonight."

Rebecca looked up at her in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because it's your birthday weekend."

"I didn't mean that. I just kinda thought Kayla would be around and we'd do something."

Polly hugged her shoulders. "I know that. But we're going to have a wildly busy weekend with a lot of people celebrating different things. You're going to meet Henry's grandparents tomorrow night and I know they're looking forward to meeting both of you. Sal's baby shower is tomorrow and your party is on Sunday. Beryl is taking you out for lunch tomorrow before the shower. There is so much going on." She turned to Heath. "Do you want to bring your friends here?"

"Yeah. That'd be great," he said. "Six thirty okay?"

"That's fine. And as for you, little Miss, you have a couple of options. I could talk to Jessie about you..."

"Could I spend the night with her and Molly? That would be awesome. I haven't been over there in a long time. We could stay up late and watch movies and she could do makeup and my hair. Please, please, please?"

"I'll talk to her. If that's what you want to do and she's available, you're set."

"Beg her," Rebecca whined. "That would be the perfect start to my birthday weekend." She clasped her hands together in front of her face, "Oh please."

Polly chuckled. "I'll see what we can do." She walked around the table and put her hand on Heath's shoulder. "If you think about it, text me today and tell me about how many are going to show up."

He nodded, his mouth full of cereal. "I will," he said once he'd swallowed. "Thanks."

~~~

Polly smoothed a phantom wrinkle in her skirt as she turned to look at her back in the mirror. Everything was in place and she was fit to be seen with Lila Kahane. The woman was as judgmental as could be, but so far, Polly had escaped much of her criticism. It was funny. She encountered these same people every day in Bellingwood, but gave them no thought. She didn't care what they thought of her and when some of the women she knew made snide comments about what she wore or how Rebecca dressed, she just ignored it. They weren't her friends, they didn't impact her life and she didn't have time for their petty behaviors. But for some reason, Sal's mother was different. Polly knew it was probably because Sal was always concerned about her mother's perceptions and that rubbed off. The thing was, Lila loved Polly and could never say enough nice things about her. Polly had caught Sal sticking her tongue out more than once as her mother gushed over something Polly said or did.

The number of times Polly had to dress up to this degree during the day were limited now that she owned Sycamore House, but she still had a few nice things from the days she worked in the Boston Public Library. She slipped her feet into blue pumps that matched her skirt, checked one more time that everything was in place, and headed for the back door. When she opened the garage door, she laughed out loud. Only in the Midwest could she dress as she had and then drive a truck to lunch. Polly had to hike her skirt to climb up into the cab and that made her laugh all the harder. This was the life. Lila Kahane would never understand its appeal.

She pulled into a parking space at Davey's and was relieved to see that Sal's car wasn't already there. Being late was an incredible sin in Lila Kahane's eyes. It wouldn't matter that you were three minutes early. Mrs. Kahane had her own clock and judged everyone's timing accordingly. Polly used the extra moments to get out of her truck as gracefully as she could manage. Maybe a more flared skirt the next time would be a better idea. She went inside, told the hostess there would be three of them and when asked if she wanted to be seated, Polly chose to wait instead.

She didn’t wait long for Sal and her mother. Both women were tall. Where Sal preferred deep reds and rich tones, her mother accented her beautiful silver hair with blues and sumptuous grays. They caused heads to turn no matter where they were, both entering a room with an air of authority and grace.

"Polly," Lila said, giving her a light hug and touching her cheek to Polly's. "It's good to see you. Living in the country has done wonders for you." She patted both of the younger women's faces. "For both of you. You look so healthy." Lila pinched Sal's cheek and said, "All of that color in your faces, extra meat on your bones and you look comfortable in your lovely clothes."

Wham. Polly wondered what the car ride up from Des Moines had been like for Sal.

"Is this your party?" the hostess asked Polly. When given an affirmative nod, she continued. "Right this way."

Lila Kahane led out and Sal drifted behind, grabbing Polly's hand. She opened her eyes wide and shook her head, mouthing, "Oh my lord!"

Polly tried not to chuckle and barely contained it when Lila turned around. "Hurry, girls. Don't make me walk by myself."

"Yes, mother," Sal said. She squeezed Polly's hand and then dropped it, walking around the table to sit beside her mother.

The hostess handed out menus and then asked if she could get anything from the bar for them.

Lila spoke up first. "Please bring me a tall glass of iced tea. Pour the tea over the ice, please, do not put the ice in after you've filled it with tea. I would like real sugar brought to the table in a bowl, not any of that packaged stuff and in another dish, bring four lemon wedges. Be sure to wash the lemons before you slice them." Then she looked at Sal and Polly.

Polly had always known Sal to be picky when she ordered food in a restaurant, but she watched Sal process on what her mother was doing.

"I'll just have water," Sal said.

Polly smiled at the hostess. "Water is fine for me, too. Thank you."

"Is there anything other than steak to eat here?" Lila asked.

Sal took a breath. "Open your menu, mother. It's a very nice restaurant with a large selection."

"So you don't have a chef who specializes in interesting entrees," Lila said. "Just run of the mill food." She looked through the menu, turned to the back, then opened it again and glanced through it before putting it down. "I guess a cobb salad will have to do."

"Mother," Sal said.

Polly nudged Sal's foot with her own. "I think I'll have a salad as well," Polly said. "But their pepper steak salad is very popular."

Mrs. Kahane picked her menu back up. "With a raspberry vinaigrette? That sounds lovely."

It nearly killed Polly to not snort a laugh, but she kept a straight face and didn't even wince when Sal kicked her under the table.

"You should also have a salad," Mrs. Kahane said to her daughter. "I can't imagine how much work you'll have to do to take off all the weight you put on during pregnancy."